bulk_extractor is a C++ program that scans a disk image, a file, or a directory
of files and extracts useful information without parsing the file system or 
file system structures. The results are stored in feature files that can be 
easily inspected, parsed, or processed with automated tools. bulk_extractor 
also creates histograms of features that it finds, as features that are more 
common tend to be more important.

bulk_extractor is distinguished from other forensic tools by its speed and 
thoroughness. 

